August 24, 2012

Portland Fire responded to a wildland brush fire in the 7800 block of SE Oaks Park Way at 2:13 PM. Engine 20 (Sellwood) was first to arrive and take command. "I could see white smoke as we were arriving," said Capt. Sara Boone of Station 20. "The situation was complicated because the fire was difficult to access because of the Springwater Trail and the railroad tracks." Because of the potential for fire spread, Boone called for a wildland response which brought additional resources including:

3 Engines

1 Truck

2 Brush Units

1 Water Tender

2 Chief Officers

2 Investigators

Station 10 (Burlingame) approached the burning field area from the east and assisted in putting the fire out. The burned-out area was approximately 300' x 30' and was on the east side of the trail and tracks, directly across from Oaks Amusement Park. Two brush units, 18 (Multnomah Village) and 29 (Powellhurst) also assisted in cleaning up hot spots after the main body of the fire had been extinguished.

Portland Fire investigators are at the scene to determine the cause of the blaze.

Although the cause has not yet been determined, Portland Fire reminds you that during the summer months with the heat and low humidity, grass and brush are much easier to ignite. Always dispose of burning material in a proper container.

Fire crews were dispatched to a house fire (11242 NE Sacramento st) at 5:27 am and arrived to "heavy flames showing from the side of the house". Station 30 (Gateway) subsequently sent in a team to search for residents and formulate a plan to extinguish the fire. Stations 2 (Park rose), 7 (Mill Park), and 19 (Mt. Tabor) arrived shortly afterward to protect neighboring homes and to help contain the fire. One resident was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

The fire originated in a 8'x 10' on the side of the house. It quickly spread to eaves of house, but fire crews stopped it before it could reach the attic. Truck 2 and Engine 7 had to open up sections of the wall to verify that the fire was completely out.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and a damage assessment is forthcoming.

August 21, 2012

At 2:25 pm, Portland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to reports of a commercial building on fire at 7428 N St. Louis Avenue, the site of R and J Recycling.

Initial reports indicated that there were possibly tanks of hazardous materials inside, as well as vehicles with the possibility of explosions. Firefighters from Portland Fire Station 22 (St. Johns) arrived on scene in just three minutes with an engine and a ladder truck to find the building fully involved in fire.

Firefighters immediately pulled 2Â1/2 inch hose lines (which are used on large fires and produce 300 gallons of water per minute) and assumed a defensive firefighting position. Crews from Portland Fire Station 8 (Kenton) alerted command that the fire had the potential to spread to a neighboring house and began focusing firefighting efforts on saving the home. Of particular concern was the fact that while firefighters were fighting this fire, vehicles continued driving over their hose lines on both North Lombard and North St. Louis. This is extremely dangerous as it can damage hose lines or cause a surge in water pressure, possibly injuring firefighters in their fire attack efforts.

The Incident Commander called for a second alarm at 2:41 pm bringing additional resources and apparatus to the scene to fight the blaze. At 2:58 pm it was determined that the roof had burned through and firefighters were ordered to remain in a defensive attack mode. The fire was brought under control at 3:12 pm. At this time, firefighters remain on scene to extinguish hot spots. One of the walls of the structure is compromised and firefighters are unable to enter that corner of the building.

The Red Cross has been called to the scene to assist two individuals with finding alternate housing. Firefighters are also ventilating a nearby health clinic at 9000 North Lombard, which filled with smoke as a result of this fire. A fire investigator is on scene working to determine the cause of this fire. No damage estimate is available at this time.

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Portland Fire & Rescue is on scene of a commercial fire at 7428 N St. Louis Avenue, the site of R and J Recycling. Fire crews were dispatched to the scene at 2:25 pm and arrived to find smoke and flames coming out of all sides of the building. At this time the roof is burned through and crews are attacking the fire defensively.

Media staging will be at: North Lombard and North St. Louis. A Public Information Officer is on scene.

Portland, OR—Buoyed by strong support from fellow commissioners and a growing community coalition, Commissioner Randy Leonard has scheduled a public hearing on water fluoridation on September 6.

“We have an opportunity to give all children in Portland an equal shot at healthy teeth just by drinking tap water,” Leonard says. “I’ve reviewed the science and talked with the Water Bureau, and it’s obvious that water fluoridation is the safest, most effective and most affordable answer to our dental health crisis.”

Leonard wanted to give his fellow commissioners time to consider fluoridation before moving ahead. After Commissioners Nick Fish and Mayor Sam Adams expressed their support last week, Leonard scheduled the hearing.

“I’ve long been personally supportive of fluoridation,” Leonard continued. “My commitment was to bring this matter forward if a majority of my colleagues agreed. That is clearly now the case, and I am very pleased we can take this long-overdue step.”

Oregon is in a dental health crisis. We have the fifth-worst rate of childhood tooth decay, largely because of the lack of fluoridated water. Two-thirds of Oregon children have had a cavity by third grade, and one in five has “rampant decay”: seven or more cavities. Dental emergencies are the leading type of preventable visit to area Emergency Departments. All children are affected, but those from communities of color and lower income communities are hit especially hard. High rates of tooth decay compromise children’s overall health, hinder their learning and pose a tremendous financial burden for families, schools, and healthcare systems.

Fluoridation is the most cost-effective answer to the dental health crisis; for every $1 invested in fluoridation, cities save about $38 in dental expenses. In Portland, that adds up to more than $21 million in savings each year. This is an incredible return on investment. The one-time cost of implementation is just $5 per person on average, with an average annual cost of $0.61 cents per person. The lifetime per-person cost is about $50; in contrast, a single cavity costs $2000 to treat over the lifetime.

More than 200 million people across the country drink fluoridated water, which is proven to reduce decay by at least 25 percent in adults and children, over and above dental hygiene, diet, and dental health care.

Water fluoridation makes a difference. Oregon children have more than twice the rate of untreated tooth decay (35%) as children in Washington State (15%), which is largely fluoridated.

Fluoridation has been studied for over 60 years in thousands of studies. The overwhelming evidence shows optimal levels of fluoridation are safe for people and the environment. That is why water fluoridation is endorsed by every major national health organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. More than 70 local health, education, and social justice organizations, including Oregon Head Start, OHSU, and the Coalition of Communities of Color, have joined together in the Everyone Deserves Healthy Teeth Coalition to ask for water fluoridation.

The hearing will be held at 2:00 P.M. on September 6, 2012, in the Portland City Hall Council Chambers.